


And In The End

by LadyofHeart



Series: dima and ashe [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Post Blue Lions/Azure Moon Route, Post Game, so like spoilers ahoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-10-01 22:15:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20422415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyofHeart/pseuds/LadyofHeart
Summary: Ashe and Dimitri celebrate a post-war Faerghus and finally settle themselves down. (Essentially a part two to my first one-shot with this ship)





	And In The End

**Author's Note:**

> You don't *have* to read the first one shot I did for these two, but you probably should because it gets referenced a lot. Also, this fic contains something that would never, ever appear in canon under any circumstance, extreme or otherwise: a drunk Felix Hugo Fraldarius. So enjoy that for what it is lmao

The feast in Fhirdiad was a large one. It took place after a series of long meetings between Dimitri and the other house heirs, from Felix and Sylvain to former Alliance and Empire citizens like Ferdinand and Lorenz. It was to celebrate the conclusion of new deals struck and show solidarity, giving hope to the people that Fodlan might be finally able to find peace after the war.

Needless to say, it was also a loud feast, and Dimitri found himself enjoying everyone's company rather than participating in all the conversation. As expected, Sylvain was loudly telling a story that had Felix rolling his eyes and Ingrid pinching the bridge of her nose like a tired mother. At least across from him, Caspar and Byleth looked thoroughly entertained.

“You look tired,” Dedue said next to him. “Would you like to retire early?”

“No, I think I just need a bit of fresh air,” Dimitri said.

“I’ll accompany you.” There was an audible crash as something further down the table fell over.

“Perhaps it’s best you stay here to keep things in order,” Dimitri said. Dedue opened his mouth to protest, but he quickly cut him off. “I won’t be gone long and I’ll still be in the castle walls. You won’t need to worry.”

“If you insist,” Dedue conceded. 

It was surprisingly easy to slip out of the dining hall without anyone calling him out. Byleth did catch his eye for a moment, but her gentle smile told him he was safe to leave before anyone had the chance to drag him back. Even Ingrid had been too distracted by Felix drinking a bit too much to notice his absence.

Outside was cold, as it always was in Fhirdiad, but it was welcome after the heat of the dining hall. It was a lot darker too, but he could at least relish in the light the moon and the stars gave as he walked through the quiet garden. He knew he wasn’t alone out here.

“Your Majesty,” came Ashe’s voice from behind him.

He turned to greet him with a smile. “Ashe. Or should I say Sir Ashe, now that you’re officially a knight?”

Ashe chuckled sweetly. “I would prefer that you didn’t.”

“Then I’ll ask the same of you. If it’s just the two of us, I’d prefer that you used my name, too.”

Ashe glanced around as if realizing how alone the two of them were. “I-I’ll try.”

Dimitri felt an awkwardness settle between them. He hadn’t forgotten that night in his room at the monastery when they kissed, but they had done little else since then. Even a conversation about what they were had been impossible to find time for as the war ramped up to its climax. Now, he wasn’t sure if he had missed the moment, or if it was something to leave behind with the war.

“What brought you out here?” he asked. 

“It was getting a little much in there,” Ashe admitted. “And I, uh, saw you leave.”

Dimitri smiled. It felt nice to have people looking out for him. He really hadn’t appreciated it before, or at least his soft heart was too afraid to acknowledge during his years of isolation. It had been easier to cling to a single goal then and pretend there was no outside world that needed him, or loved him. 

“You don’t have to worry too much,” Dimitri said. A cold breeze blew past them. “Let’s walk a bit, before we’re frozen to the spot.”

Ashe eagerly joined his side. Despite all the fur he was wearing, he looked appropriately cold, and his cheeks were marred with a pink blush. Dimitri wanted to offer his cloak, to put his arm around him and give him the warmth he sought, but he didn’t know how that would end and if he would just scare him away, so he opted to walk so that their shoulders were touching, and when Ashe didn’t shy away, he knew it had been the right move. Hopefully, the smallest bit of contact could offer warmth.

“So, how does it feel to be a knight now?” Dimitri asked curiously.

Ashe’s expression flipped from melancholic to excitable. “I know I haven’t done much yet, but even acknowledging I have knighthood is just… incredible. I’m excited to work with Ingrid to secure the safety of Faerghus.”

His excitement was infectious, but another thought came to mind. “You know, you never did tell me why you turned down the other half of my offer. You could have remained a knight and inherited House Gaspard since there are no heirs.”

Ashe glanced away shyly. “I said I wanted to serve /you/. House Blaiddyd. I can’t serve as a knight in Fhirdiad if I’m also to inherit House Gaspard.”

Dimitri couldn’t help a smile. “Yes, I do recall you saying that.” Ashe’s stubborness in his decisions was somehow heart warming. It felt childish to admit that Dimitri would have been rather heartbroken if Ashe had taken up the offer to lead House Gaspard.

Ashe stopped in walking suddenly, so Dimitri quickly stopped with him. He looked unsure, maybe even uncomfortable, and he didn’t know what to do with this information. “Your Majesty--”

“Ashe, please.”

“Er, right. Dimitri.” He always liked the way his name sounded coming from others. He heard it too rarely. “I, well, about those monastery days--”

“Dimitri!” came a harsh yell that could only belong to Felix. He was surprised to see him so brazenly drunk, because that was most certainly not his style, and to also be trailed by Ingrid, Sylvain and Dedue.

“Why are you out here when the whole ass celebration is in there?” Felix demanded to know. He was being much louder than necessary.

“I tried to tell him you needed some space,” Dedue said, sounding very tired of the antics.

“Oh shit,” Sylvain said, holding onto Felix’s body to stop himself from stumbling in his own drunken stupor. “They’re both here!” He gestured wildly at Ashe and Dimitri. “Felix, you homewrecker, ya gotta leave them alone!”

“Your Majesty, I am so sorry,” Ingrid said, seeming to be slightly more in control of herself. “They just really wanted to find out where you were.”

“Nah, it’s totally fine now!” Sylvain said.

Felix made a feeble attempt to shove Sylvain away. “It’s not /fine/, he’s supposed to be in there! And we did all this walking to find him, asshole!”

“Alright,” Dimitri said. “I didn’t mean to stay away for long; I’ll come back now.” He turned to Ashe and said, “Come by room later and we’ll talk about whatever it is you were going to say.”

“Aw, Dimitri, not in front of the children!” Sylvain said as he easily grabbed both Ingrid and Felix to cover their eyes as if talking was just too scandalous.

“Ugh, Sylvain, get off!” Ingrid complained.

Dimitri exchanged an amused look with Ashe before rejoining the celebration. It was just as lively as Dimitri had left it, though he made sure to steer clear of drinking the way his friends had. Unlike them, he never had a chance to build up any sort of tolerance for alcohol while haunting the monastery or brooding in the cathedral, and he was not about to make a fool of himself tonight.

By the time everyone dispersed to finally fall asleep and forget their embarrassing highlights of the party, it was well into the night, and Dimitri stumbled into his room mostly out of exhaustion than anything else. He stared at his bed that was much too large for a single person to happily sleep in and plopped himself down. Even though he was exhausted, he had to stay awake to know if Ashe was going to explain whatever he wanted to say.

Each ticking moment dragged out more than he would have wanted, and he began to doubt if Ashe would come at all. Maybe he forgot what he was going to say or was too tired to see him. Deciding to give up, he began to take off his formal clothing, cape and all. The knock at his door caught him off guard, but when he answered it he was happy to see it was Ashe. He looked a little flushed, either from the coolness of the hallway or drinking.

“Sorry, I meant to be here sooner,” Ashe said. “But Ingrid looked like she needed help with Sylvain and then Felix was being a bit rowdy so-- it’s fine now.”

Dimitri stepped back to let him into the room where the already lit fireplace could offer more warmth. “And you?”

“Oh, I’m okay. I think the most startling thing tonight was finding out that Archbishop Byleth drinks much the same way she eats.”

Dimitri had to agree on that. “Violently, and all at once.”

Ashe’s laugh was something he wanted to hear forever, and the realization of this was a little dizzying. He shook his head as if to clear the thought. He caught Ashe eyeing his shoulder, which was now mostly exposed by the loose shirt he wore. More precisely, the scar that was there. He wasn’t self conscious about his scars, but he didn’t like the way Ashe had grown silent over it, so he pulled his shirt higher up.

“Sorry,” Ashe murmured, glancing away. “You must have a lot of scars, though.”

“We all do, don’t we?” Dimitri said. It seemed instinctive that Ashe’s hand went to his side where a sword had pierced him months ago. Most of that battle had been a haze for Dimitri, though he dimly recalled a bitter fear building up in him when he thought he had seen another friend die, and he was still surprised that he had managed to save Ashe when he did.

Dimitri reached out and gently took Ashe’s hand into his own, pulling it away from his side. There was still something delicate about his hands, even after all these brutal years.  
Ashe looked down at their hands. “This is what I wanted to talk about.”

“I figured as much,” Dimitri said as he led them to sit on the edge of his bed, still holding his hand. 

“I’ve been thinking,” Ashe began. “If this might be a… distraction now that I’m a knight in charge of keeping you safe.”

“Am I that distracting to you?” Dimitri teased.

He went bright red. “T-that’s not what I meant, I mean--”

“Ashe, if you believe you would be happier without… this, then I won’t stop you.” Even if it hurt to say.

“I wouldn’t be,” he said quickly. “It’s just still so surreal is all. I feel like I should be denying this every step of the way, you know? I’m still just some commoner. I mean, I used to be a thief! And thieves don’t get nice things like this.”

Dimitri smiled. “I think you read too many books where upstanding nobles raise themselves into knighthood and ride off into sunsets on stallions. If I can be forgiven for what I’ve done, then so can you.”

Ashe looked up at him, beaming, and Dimitri thought of how nice it would be to sit there and count the delicate freckles that crossed the bridge of his nose. Instead, he was met with a sudden kiss, eager but gentle all the same, the way Ashe always was.

Dimitri’s experience with physical affection was extremely limited, but he knew that he craved it, and he had grown attached to the way he could feel Ashe’s heartbeat against his chest as they pressed closer together. He pulled his hand out of Ashe’s to instead rest it on his hip, where his thumb ever so slightly touched the skin beneath the hem of his shirt. Ashe froze in their kissing for the smallest moment before resuming, as if deciding this was okay.

Ashe’s hand tentatively found its way to his shoulder, and he could no doubt feel the scar that Edelgard’s knife had left him with. Dimitri expected himself to recoil -- it was a painful memory, still too fresh and awful -- but he didn’t. Ashe’s touch felt more like salve than steel. Dimitri let his own hand wander farther under the shirt, only to halt when he felt the familiar texture of scarred skin. He hadn’t seen the scar, but he remembered the fresh wound, and how terribly it had bled.

Ashe pulled back slightly to stare up at him, his hand still on Dimitri’s shoulder. There was a lingering fear that he would pull back, and a deeper fear that Dimitri wouldn’t be able to stop /himself/ from pulling back, but neither of them did. Ashe leaned forward to press his face into the crook of Dimitri’s neck and let out a comforted sigh.

For that night, they were the only two people that mattered in the world to each other. Tomorrow, they could be king and knight, but tonight, they were simply Dimitri and Ashe.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact I was gonna try writing something ~spicy~ for these two but it turns out that I have the mental fortitude of a grandmother and will probably never write spice for anyone or any ship. This is quite literally the most intimate thing I have ever written in my short life and its freakin' nothing. Anyway, next fic I do is gonna be Sylvain, Felix and Ashe goofing off to some ghostly shit, so look forward to that if any of you are keeping tabs on my account. My twitter is Lady_Of_Heart13 if y'all wanna pay a visit u_u


End file.
